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Rangers in the Kimberley working to mitigate climate change

Date posted: 13 September 2017

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rangers in the Kimberley region of Western Australia (WA) are 'fighting fire with fire' to protect the environment, according to a recent lecture by one of the region's key leaders.

Kimberley Land Council (KLC) Chief Executive, Nolan Hunter, spoke to more than 100 people at Notre Dame University's Broome campus recently about the role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people play in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Mr Hunter said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Kimberley and northern Australia were undertaking savanna carbon projects, which combine traditional burning methods with modern science. 'This reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere from unmanaged wildfires,' he said. 'This produces better biodiversity outcomes by preventing destructive wildfires that are more damaging.'

Mr Hunter noted that Kimberley Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had led the way in relation to this work, particularly the progression of the carbon market economy.

In the Kimberley, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are responsible for looking after nine Indigenous Protected Areas, four of which combine to create the largest indigenous-owned conservation corridor in northern Australia.